An automatic dispensing tip supply device capable of supplying plural dispensing tips (pipette tips) one by one has conventionally been known (e.g., see U.S. 2004108330). The automatic dispensing tip supply device disclosed in the U.S. 2004108330 is composed of a storage box for storing a dispensing tip, a tip individual sending mechanism for sending one by one the plural dispensing tips stored in the storage box, and a door mechanism having a tip holding part that can horizontally hold one dispensing tip. A push-up plate having an upper end surface on which only one dispensing tip can be placed laterally is provided at the tip individual sending mechanism of the automatic dispensing tip supply device. This push-up plate is vertically driven, whereby the dispensing tip placed on the upper end surface of the push-up plate is directed to the tip holding part of the door mechanism section. Then, the dispensing tip held by the tip holding part is discharged to the outside by opening the door of the door mechanism.
However, the dispensing tip used in the automatic dispensing tip supply device disclosed in U.S. 2004108330 has a base portion having a large diameter and a leading end having a small diameter and generally conic shape. Therefore, there may be the case in which two dispensing tips are arranged on the upper end surface of the push-up plate as vertically overlapped in the opposite direction. In this case, two dispensing tips overlapped in the opposite direction are disadvantageously pushed up as arranged on the upper surface of the push-up plate. As a result, two dispensing tips might simultaneously be discharged to the outside.
A pipette tip or cuvette is conventionally used in an analyzing device for analyzing specimen such as blood or serum. For example, a system in which a rack having pipette tips accommodated therein is mounted as a system for supplying pipette tips to a dispensing device has been used (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. HEI10-62433). The device described above needs a labor for accommodating pipette tips into the rack. U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,439 discloses a tip positioning and storing device that automates the accommodation of pipette tips into the rack, for example.
In the system using the rack, it is generally necessary to set plural racks to the device. Therefore, a space for plural racks are required. Further, a rack supply mechanism and discharge mechanism should further be provided in order to enhance processing capacity, thereby increasing the size of the device.
In view of this, there has been proposed a supply device in which parts such as pipette tips or cuvettes are unintentionally accommodated into an accommodating chamber, parts are automatically aligned, and parts are supplied to a predetermined position one by one.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-19182 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-83999 disclose a device in which a conveyer scoops up parts such as pipette tips or cuvettes accommodated in the accommodating chamber, and the scooped parts are dropped to a funnel-shaped guide for aligning the parts.
Meanwhile, parts such as pipette tips or cuvettes are exchanged for each analysis in an analyzing device, so that it is desired that a great number of parts, e.g., several hundred parts, can be accommodated into an accommodating chamber. However, in the above-mentioned device in which the conveyer scoops up the parts one by one from the accommodating chamber, when a great number of parts are accommodated into the accommodating chamber, it becomes difficult to scoop up the parts one by one by the conveyer due to the weight or interference of the great number of parts.